U.S. Aircraft Sale Upholds Israel Military Edge: Hagel

April 22 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. plans to provide Israel
with advanced weapons, including the first export of the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, as part of an “iron-clad pledge” to ensure
its edge against enemies such as Syria and Iran, Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel said.

“We’re committed to providing Israel with whatever support
is necessary for Israel to maintain military superiority over
any state or coalition of states and non-state actors,” Hagel
said after meeting today with Israeli Defense Minister Moshe
Ya’alon in Tel Aviv.

Hagel, 66, expressed the Obama administration’s commitment
to making sure Iran doesn’t acquire the capability to build a
nuclear weapon. He said the U.S. is coordinating its response to
Iran with Israel and said economic sanctions against the oil-rich nation are “potent, wide and deep.”

The weapons package that Hagel and Ya’alon discussed
includes refueling aircraft, anti-radiation missiles and
advanced radar for jet fighters. The Osprey, an airplane that
takes off and lands like a helicopter, will improve Israel’s
ability to conduct commando and rescue operations.

The weapons will “ensure Israel’s air superiority in the
future and allow the Israeli Air Force long-range
capabilities,” Hagel said, and Israel is getting equipment
“that we have not given to any other country.”

The Osprey is made by the Bell Helicopter unit of
Providence, Rhode Island-based Textron Inc. and Chicago-based
Boeing Co.

Military Financing

The U.S. provides Israel with weapons under the foreign
military financing program. Hagel said the Obama administration
“has ensured that Israel receives an all-time high of $3.1
billion” this year under that program “despite fiscal
pressures.” The U.S. and Israel are discussing a new 10-year
agreement for the foreign assistance program after the current
one expires in 2017, Hagel said.

As of early 2012, the U.S. had provided foreign assistance
to Israel of $115 billion since the end of World War II, making
the Jewish state the largest recipient of such aid, according to
the Congressional Research Service.

Iran denies it is laying the groundwork to build nuclear
weapons and says its program is designed for energy production
and medical use.

Asked if the new U.S. weapons address Israel’s concern that
Iran may reach a point where a military attack wouldn’t be
sufficient to set back its pursuit of nuclear weapons, Ya’alon,
62, said, “Without a credible military option there’s no chance
the Iranian regime will realize it has to stop the military
nuclear project.”

Saudis, U.A.E.

Although options including diplomacy, economic sanctions
and support to opposition groups must be continued, “in certain
circumstances, a military option should be exercised,” Ya’alon
said.

The focus of Hagel’s trip is to reach agreements to sell
$10 billion of U.S. weaponry to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates, according to U.S. defense officials who
briefed reporters on condition of anonymity before the deals
were announced.

Israel has no objections if the U.S. provides advanced
missiles and radar to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E, Michael Oren,
Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a brief interview in
Jerusalem.

In addition to meeting Ya’alon at the Defense Ministry in
Tel Aviv, Hagel boarded an Israeli military helicopter for an
aerial tour of the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from
Syria in 1967. Hagel plans to meet tomorrow with Israel’s Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Syria’s Weapons

Asked if Syria has used its stockpile of chemical weapons
against rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Hagel
said the U.S. intelligence agencies were assessing “what
happened and what did not happen.”

Hagel declined to say what action the U.S. would take if it
found evidence the stockpile had been used.

Ya’alon said Israel also is concerned about Syria’s use of
chemical weapons and had drawn a so-called red line if the Assad
regime resorted to it.

Netanyahu has warned Assad “not to allow any rogue
elements to put their hands on the Syrian chemical arsenal,”
Ya’alon said. “This is a red line for us. It hasn’t been tested
yet, but we are ready.”